blog entry 2

here goesss...
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12409480/


This article is about 5 teenagers who plotted a shooting rampage in their school. My first reaction to reading this article was “what the…” as these are only 16-18 year olds! 16-18 year olds plotting to terrorize their school with guns. Guns and knives and extra ammunition. The only time I ever held a gun was at my school’s air rifle trial. They even had documents relating to firearms and Armageddon. This raises a serious question of how American teens are living their lives.
I understand that in the US, people are allowed to own guns. But who would sell guns to 16 year old teenagers? The black market dealers probably, since 16 year olds are still below the age limit to own a gun. And who would know where these black market dealers are? Probably their friends who spend half their time living with their gangs and the other half having a gang war. Teens are now so exposed to violence on the television that they start to emulate what they see, especially if their circumstances are the same as the characters they see on television. The typical teen that joins gangs probably comes from a broken family, with the mother and father constantly fighting, a family with financial problems, or a family with parents who just don’t care. Of course, my perception of these teens above probably stemmed from television too. The point is that these teens do not have the right positive influence in their formative years, and that is why they grow up learning to be destructive.
Another point I would like to highlight that the article didn’t really touch on is the fact that they had documents pertaining to Armageddon. Biblically, Armageddon refers to the final battle between the kings of the world at the end of the world, but normally it refers to some big battle, much like World War 1. The reason I’m highlighting the Armageddon documents is because I think these teens may have thought they were some harbingers of doom and destruction and that it was their task to start the end of the world. This is a very scary concept as it links their intentions to more religious matters. It’s something like a westernized version of Jemaah Islamiyah.
After reading this article, I feel that indeed the future of the world is very cloudy, what with school shootouts that border on terrorism. American teenagers are very much wasting their time trying to rebel against society. The world really should start taking an interest in the welfare of our future leaders, lest they lead us into an era of turmoil.

whee finished.